Sensational sky lights at the park

As the sun set on Friday, rays of light reached out across the skies of Kinston much to the delight of sky watchers in the area.

Zach Frailey / The Free Press

As the sun set on Friday, rays of light reached out across the skies of Kinston much to the delight of sky watchers in the area. Several people stopped to look and take photos near the ponds in NeusewayPark. The beams of light, known as crepuscular rays, are created by shadows made by the clouds over the sun. "The more scattered clouds, dust and water particles in the atmosphere, the better the rays are," said Brad Panovich, chief meteorologist at WCNC in Charlotte. Accuweather's Jesse Ferrell explained further, "Clouds create sun rays in between their shadows. Perspective makes them appear to radiate outward."

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